Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-03-24

practicable to raise this money by tax
per head. But maybe you will say,
! "my friend we have started out on .
reformation with big r. We are en-
| listed tor a holy war, not against the
poor infidels, who are, by the way,
worthy people, but against the bloated
bond holders and owners Of movable
wealth." Suppose we say We will raise
this indemnity by tax upon the cap
italsts, the great money holders.
What would that be but confiscation
and repudiation? What would that be
but taking my value without giving
me value in return? What would that
be other than doing that to the holder
of personally which you have already
decided not to do to the holder of reai-
ty? And does not the owner OF goods
hold by the same title, with the same
guaranty, rights, conditions and limi-
tations with which the owner of lands
holds the land? And would not the
same disasters happen upon o confisca-
ton of goods which deferred you from
a confiscation of land? Should not the
same reasons which deferred you from
that. also. equally, restrain you from
this inpolitic, unjust, fiagrant and out
rageous violation of private right?
Not to heed the voice of reason I'm
this would soon make gold as scarce Ia
America rs Lycurgus wished it to be
in Sparta when he decreed that each
piece of money should be of iron and in
weight not less than fifty pounds.
When any considerable party adopts
this political and econmic heresy as its
platform, (Which will never be, though
we have no law against men declaring
the moon to he of cheese), the shipping
of America, will, in week, be loaded
to its scuppers with the wealth of ths
country and its owners seeking some
parternal despotism as refuge and
asylum from the curses of liberty run
mad and degenerated into common
consent to confiscation and reputation.
=. Mr.. Editor, it Is no more q crime,
per Sc, to be rich man than it is to be
the opposite. And it would be crime,
accursed of God and man, to rob the
one ostensibly FOR the benefit of the
other. OF course it Is an evil that
given mans should amass q colossal
fortune while his neighbors are In want.
But the fault is with the law as much as
with the man, and the most. rabid
would be capitalist If he
could. The laws should be amended
SO that in future no such evil may arise,
ard in course of time the colossus will
evaporate by natural processes; but to
his right, and to coniscate
his own simply by reason Of its size,
and for thet'benefit of those who, in
many instances are reduced to straits
by their own faults, would be not only
a moral wrong, but also curse upon
those sought to benefited. He most
enjoys and appreciates anil longest re-
tains that which he has who has, HIM
self, earned it, and the course of events
shows that that which is easiest and
with least trouble acquired is soonest
ost.
Sir, government was not instituted
FOR and has no right to tax one class of
persons Cor the benefit of another. And
to tax the property holders for the BEN
eft of their less fortunate neighbors is
class legislation.
Governments only legitimate funct-
on is to preserve peace and. order, to
prevent the powerful from expressing
the weak, and to protect each man in
the quiet and peaceful enjoyment OF
MS own, and its only right of taxation
s that to raise revenues for the pur-
pose of performing the above functions.
When it passes these bounds 1t Ia an
lsurper and tyrant; and this land
theory in execution would be the most
of all usurpations and tyr
.anies.
/ am almost done. I only pause to
say that am convinced that this land
theory will meyer obtain in America,
and, SO thinking, all through this arti-
lie have had feeling that / was
ighting shadow. Yours, X.
Exit Warren"